Bound to Devotion
by Flirtatiouspriss
Summary: “A life of devotion isn’t what Emily envisioned for herself…”… Set before “The Corpse Bride” Emily Pruett is bound to marry someone she doesn’t love. Bound to laws and honor, she unwillingly proceeds forward until a stranger appears.
1. Devotion

Title: Bound to Devotion

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my words.

Summary: "A life of devotion isn't what Emily envisioned for herself…"

… _Set before "The Corpse Bride"_ Emily Pruett is bound to marry someone she doesn't love; someone she's never even met. Bound to laws and honor, she unwillingly proceeds forward in a life she despises until she meets a mystery man who unlocks her heart and promises to love her until _"Death do they part"._

And with that..."Let the stories that bind me, be free..."

* * *

_**Crack**_

The sharp pain flew up her long slender fingers.

"D sharp! For heavens sake girl, pay attention!" The shrill voiced shrieked deep withinthe young student'sbones as she nodded and quickly resumed playing.

The somber lullaby that danced across the empty hall mirrored that ofthe young girl'ssomber heart. Her mother crouched close to her watching _her_ every note she fluttered across the piano keys with her whipping stick at the ready. She was as most girls were; a prisoner in her own home.Miss Pruett had luxuries that other women could only dream of. She lived in a monstrous home that oozed of dignity and wealth. The Pruett's were after all, one of the wealthiest merchants in town. Mr. Finial and Dorathea Pruett were "blessed" if you could call it that with one child; a girl no less. And they named her Emily.

Emily grew up in wealth and beauty but her parent's hearts were as cold as ice. A girl was of no use to them. She could no less carry on the name nor increase their wealth. And she was forced to learn as many talents as possible; dancing, stitching, cooking, playing piano; anything that would make her more of an asset rather than a burden. The less of a dowry, the better. And so Emily grew up under the watchful eyes of her parents.

The intense scrutiny she surrendered herself to was nothing more than bothersome at times to Emily. Her unique mind graced her with a quick tongue, a brilliant brain and all the niceness you could squeeze into one person. No matter how harsh the punishment or how humiliating the task was she did everything with a smile. She was kind and pure; a rare treasure among those around her.

As the years went on, Emily only grew to be more talented and more graceful. The boys who were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of her out in her garden, went on and on about how her hair shimmered and how striking her eyes were. No one was ever allowed close enough to talk to her. She was rarely aloud to leave the house except for important trips. But still she was the apple of everyone's eyes except her parents.

The time had come for Emily to at least be plucked for the ripe. She was after all, eighteen years of age this coming month. The talks of her prospects were done without her knowledge. She went on as always tending to her garden and playing the piano. As Emily still played on even to this very moment, her impending transfer from one prison to another still lingered without her consent.

Her fingers rushed furiously across the keys as she sped up the tempo playing to her heart's desire. Curls of jet black hair swung across her face. Her dark brooding eyes never wavering.

**_Slam_**

Her head jerked up towards the door where her father came striding in, his face contorted into a sneer grin.

"My dear Dorathea! I've done it! I've found someone who had asked for no dowry for Emily!"

Emily quickly threw her head down and turned back to her piano as they spoke on about her as though she were not even there. She found this was the most pleasant way to be not seen. What they didn't know about their so called obedient daughter was that her mind raced all the time. Her mind filled with thoughts of a life in which she were free to choose what she wanted. A life in which she was allowed to love. The thought of a marriage to a stranger sickened her.

As she made her way up towards her chambers that night, her head filled with thoughts of her parents profusely apologizing to her for ever making her marry someone she didn't even know. She was free to choose the man she wanted; someone brave and cunning, someone who wasn't afraid to speak up. Maybe he even liked poetry. Her pink lips curled in a sweet smile as she dreamed of a man she could love for an eternity. What she didn't know was that the marriage papers were being signed at that very moment.

TBC...

Comments are so ever nice! Even if bad. :(


	2. Wilted

Mr. Pruett chinked his fork against his goblet as the jumbled voices receded into silence. Emily stared blankly into her bisque as Mr. Pruett spoke loudly. She watched the ripples pass along the bowl as her father's voice boomed across the dinning hall. She took a pained breath as her corset dug deeply into her chest. All of tonight was painful. From the moment she woke up and was informed of the wedding dinner set for tonight to the last hour when she was laced up in her cage. Inside, her soul swirled around frantically looking for an escape but Emily kept her mouth shut keeping her true self trapped inside. As her voice inside tried to reason with her, she was nudged. She looked up suddenly and noticed all eyes on her. She smiled and nodded knowing that her father had just made some sort of announcement about how happy she must be or some other nonsense.

A hand came towards her from next to her. She turned to see it was her supposed fiancé. Tonight was the first time she met him. He seemed just like the rest of them; stuck up and gray. His rigid nose seemed to obstruct his path of vision and his hair was slick back into a hard rock. His pasty and pale skin was filled with no life. He was easily double her age. Her stomach turned as his mouth turned up at the corners. She looked into his dark, brooding eyes but she could not see any source of passion or joy.

As the dinner party moved into the parlor for some light entertainment, Emily snuck out on the terrace under the stars. She took a deep, crushing breath as she looked out at the garden. Drops of dew twinkled like diamonds on each bloom. She went out towards the flowers. She knelt to pick one. Several dark curls escaped her comb and tumbled across her face. She picked a wilted white lily. Turning it in her fingers, she sadly observed its wilted petals waiting innocently for death. How lucky for this flower to escape this life, she noted.

"Emily!" She whipped around and found her mother storming towards her, "What are you doing girl?! You are not allowed to be out by yourself and furthermore your presence is requested in the parlor to play!"

Mrs. Pruett grasped her sharply by the arm and sneered, "You are lucky child. I would have you whipped for this insolence but then how embarrassing for your father and me if you were to be damaged for your wedding night. He'd send you right back and we would find no hope of getting rid of you!"

She forcefully pulled Emily into the parlor. She had no choice but to go back to the party.

* * *

Emily breathed easily in her night robe as her bruised chest expanded. She lay in bed staring up at the ceiling. Her fingers ached from the piano tonight. Her mother had insisted that she play until the night almost turned into dawn. Now in the silence, she just lay there fighting back the emotions that wanted free. The tears stung just under the surface. She turned to her side and eyed the crushed lily on the bed side table. Its petals hung limply. She had quickly pocketed it as her mother came out. She reached over and picked up the lily. The limp petals slowly glided to the bottom of her floor. She looked over the edge and stared at the broken petal. She suddenly woke up.

All the warmth came back to her and she swung over the side of the bed and rushed over to the window. Looking out into the night, she felt the rush of the cool night. It invigorated her. She quickly threw on a dressing gown and went out the window. She a story up and so she softly latched herself to the brick and climbed down. When she got to the bottom, she could see a carriage coming up around the bend, she ducked down and hid until it passed by. As soon as it had, she took off into the night. If she couldn't find love in this house then she'd find it somewhere else.

TBC...

It has been a while but I promise I will be updating more often now that I am done with school.


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